Healthy Start, Happy Start is a research study of a programme that aims to try to help parents with their children’s behaviour and development. It is being led by Dr Paul Ramchandani and is based at Imperial College London. Healthy Start, Happy Start is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment Programme.
This programme in the Healthy Start, Happy Start study aims to help parents better understand their child’s communication and behaviour and to learn different ways of reacting. This is done through play and interaction sessions, where we meet with the parents and child and try out different ways of responding to common situations. We record these sessions and then look at the recording with parents, discussing it as we go along.
What does the study involve?
The study involves a trained health professional visiting families at home to explore their child’s behaviour and communication. The focus is on the positives of the relationship, as well as offering support and advice on managing the more difficult moments.
The visits involve recording short video clips of everyday situations, such as parents playing together with their child and meal times. We then watch these video clips with the parents to explore their child’s behaviour and communication
Who took part?
We have now closed recruitment into the study, but we invited mums, dads and other caregivers of children aged 12-36 months old to take part. We focussed on families who lived in Islington, Camden, Hillingdon, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Peterborough and Barking and Dagenham.
This programme in the Healthy Start, Happy Start study aims to help parents better understand their child’s communication and behaviour and to learn different ways of reacting. This is done through play and interaction sessions, where we meet with the parents and child and try out different ways of responding to common situations. We record these sessions and then look at the recording with parents, discussing it as we go along.
What does the study involve?
The study involves a trained health professional visiting families at home to explore their child’s behaviour and communication. The focus is on the positives of the relationship, as well as offering support and advice on managing the more difficult moments.
The visits involve recording short video clips of everyday situations, such as parents playing together with their child and meal times. We then watch these video clips with the parents to explore their child’s behaviour and communication
Who took part?
We have now closed recruitment into the study, but we invited mums, dads and other caregivers of children aged 12-36 months old to take part. We focussed on families who lived in Islington, Camden, Hillingdon, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Peterborough and Barking and Dagenham.
Watch the video below to see the Healthy Start, Happy Start trial manager, Dr Christine O'Farrelly, talking about this study on London Live in August 2015.